


The Best Christmas

by rarepairqueen



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi actually shows emotions, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Fluff, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mistletoe, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 07:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8968165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rarepairqueen/pseuds/rarepairqueen
Summary: Akaashi dreads the age old questions regarding why he hasn't gotten a partner yet, Bokuto volunteers to be his 'boyfriend' that Christmas.It goes about as well as could be expected.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I think I killed about 3 people whilst writing this by sending them snippets.  
> Also I didn't realise Akaashi had a sister until I saw the tag for her. Whoops. (I get all my info from the HQ wiki okay so if it ain't there then I don't know about it)
> 
> Anyway, this is a thing because I saw a prompt on tumblr and thought it would work well for my Christmas fic this year, mainly because 90% of my requests are smut based so it was nice to write fluff for 10K. 
> 
> So happy holidays everyone!

 

It was that time of year again; the bitter cold air took no prisoners as it hung around campus, the hallways were decorated with paper snowflakes and tinsel and there was a sense of excitement in the air at the upcoming break from classes. There was also a sense of relief now that the winter exams were taken care of and everyone could relax a bit. Akaashi didn't mind Christmas, he wasn't exactly over-the-top festive but neither was he the Grinch. He liked how close it bought his family, with relatives from different cities all descending on Tokyo that year to spend time with each other, he was one of the eldest of the cousins so he was looking forward to seeing the little ones again.

There was however one setback to being one of the eldest; his grandparents kept asking him why he didn't have a lover yet. His older cousin had gotten married a few months previously so she was 'taken care of' as far as they were concerned, now their sights set on him despite him only being seventeen. He had thought about trying to tell them he had no interest in anyone, but that wasn't strictly true. They didn't seem to care if the person he bought home was male or female, as long as he had _someone_. In a way it was endearing; that they didn't want him to grow older alone but it was also incredibly stressful. The problem was, the person he was vaguely interested in was his senior and was probably clueless to his interest.

It was the last volleyball practice before the end of the semester, Bokuto was in high spirits as the festivities of the day had involved free food and unexpected gifts from his classmates and team-mates. The team in general were in a good mood, the actual idea of practising was thrown out the window within a few moments of Akaashi arriving.

"Akaaaaashi!" Bokuto greeted, a grin on his face as the setter waved in greeting to the rest of the team. "Look what Komi got me!"

Akaashi raised an eyebrow as his eyes set on the knitted owl hat - complete with prominent 'eyebrows' - that would have no hope in hell in containing Bokuto's hair, it bore an uncanny resemblance to the captain actually. He was met with the sudden realisation he hasn't gotten the other a gift yet with the chaos of studying and preparing his home for guests over the holidays.

"It suits you." He replied with a small smile, hoping the ace wouldn't ask him for a gift. He didn't feel like being the downer that season.

"I know right!" Bokuto was like a kid in a candy store as he swept Komi up in a bear hug.

There was laughter from the others as the libero was set down and allowed to breathe again. The rest of practice was spent discussing plans for the short break before someone suggested having a snowball fight before they all left, it was all they could do to stop Bokuto throwing a snowball at Akaashi without warning. It was a chilling experience as no-one bothered to put their jackets on, mainly because Bokuto was being impatient and ran out of the doors to make a start on his ammo supply before everyone else.

"Bokuto-san, it's usually customary not to hog all the snow." Akaashi remarked as he joined the captain huddling behind a bench, Washiro and Konoha were quick to start their assault as Bokuto laughed and forced some of the packed snow into Akaashi's hands.

"Lighten' up Akaashi." He replied with a mischievous smile, peeking over the top of the bench before launching return fire at their team-mates. "It's Christmas."

"So it is." Akaashi chuckled, giving into the childish nature and indulging in the playful war. It was bitterly cold as the daylight began to fade; they could see their breath in large puffs, their fingers were numb, noses cherry red and Akaashi wasn't going to admit that he was actually shivering.

The snowball fight was called to a close when Yukie appeared in the doorway looking none too pleased that they hadn't worn any jackets, ranting about how 'the best team in Tokyo should know better than to risk catching colds', Bokuto rolled his eyes and distracted her by asking if there was any hot chocolate around. To his dismay, there was none, and so his infamous emo mode kicked in.

"So I believe he's your problem now." Komi uttered, nudging Akaashi's side as Yukie waved her hand in front of Bokuto's spaced-out face. "Merry Christmas Akaashi."

The setter sighed slightly, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he approached the captain. He placed a hand on the other's broad shoulder and got his attention; the faint mumbling of 'no hot chocolate on Christmas' tumbling out of Bokuto's lips nearly made Akaashi laugh, he couldn't help but find the other's simple-mindedness cute. In a way it was what started this 'interest' in the first place, it was also his greatest enemy when it came to doing anything remotely close to confessing.

"Bokuto-san, I can buy you hot chocolate on the way home if you want." He offered, letting a smile grace his face. "Consider it my gift to you this Christmas."

It succeeded in making Bokuto do a complete 180, his wide golden eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree and an infectious smile spreading across his cheeks. "You're the best Akaaaashi!"

With the rest of the clubs finishing, the team exchanged hugs and well wishes before parting ways for the break. Akaashi and Bokuto locked up the gym and club room like they usually did, the captain tugging his new hat onto his head despite his spiked hair as he waited for Akaashi to pocket the keys. The setter demanded he adjusted the hat, making the captain crouch slightly so he could tuck the stray strands of hair under the knitted wool. They exchanged a smile as he deemed his work done and nodded for them to leave.

A short walk away from the school was a popular coffee shop, the duo frequently ended up there after practice in the summer months getting a cold drink but rarely stopped by in the winter. Akaashi somewhat foolishly let Bokuto have whatever he wanted, deeming it 'his treat' as he ordered himself a more simplistic coffee with a hint of orange flavouring. Bokuto examined the menu with fierce focus, changing his mind several times before finally deciding on one of the sweetest drinks Akaashi had ever heard of.

"Snickerdoodle..." He repeated as they stepped out of the store with the takeaway cups warming their hands.

"Hell yeah." Bokuto grinned, taking a sip and then immediately complaining it was too hot, Akaashi nearly spluttered everywhere fighting the urge to laugh. He could feel his cheeks reddening as Bokuto flapped around trying to cool his tongue, finally settling for catching snowflakes on his tongue as they walked slowly towards their homes.

"So what are your plans for the holiday?" Bokuto asked, finally able to drink his ridiculously sweet cocoa without burning his entire mouth.

"Hm? Oh I have a lot of family staying, my cousins from out of town specifically, and my grandparents." He replied, glancing at the other before fixing his gaze back on the frozen pathway.

"Sounds fun."

"Not really, I'm going to get asked a lot of questions." Akaashi sighed, he didn't tend to open up to anyone about anything, but Bokuto always seemed so easy to talk to about anything; mainly because he tended to forget most of what Akaashi said.

"Oh? About what?" Bokuto's owlish eyes conveyed a certain amount of concern for his underclassman in that moment but didn't verbally show it too much.

A shrug from the other did little to dispel the concern. "My older cousin got married so now everyone will probably ask when I'll bring someone home for Christmas."

"Isn't she like...twenty-two though?"

It surprised Akaashi that Bokuto remembered such a small detail, he smiled against the coffee cup as he took a sip. "Yeah, but still. I've never dated anyone so my family probably thinks there's something wrong with me at this point."

"You're seventeen!" Bokuto exclaimed. "I mean, tsk does it really matter to them that much?"

Akaashi didn't answer immediately, mulling over divulging such personal information to the other. He wasn't fussed too much about finding a partner sooner rather than later, but he knew his grandparents were getting old and they wanted to see him happy with someone before they passed. It was sweet, but still slightly bothered him. After a small period of silence, he conveyed all of that to Bokuto, he expected the other to apologise for something out of his control and then hastily change the subject. But this was Bokuto he was talking to, and nothing was ever _really_ simple.

"So they want you to bring someone home this Christmas?"

"Yes..." Akaashi hummed, side-glancing at the ace.

"And it's just for Christmas."

"Bokuto-san..."

"What?"

"What are you suggesting?" He stopped walking, Bokuto halting by his side and turning to face him. the golden eyes had a mischievous spark about them and the smirk on Bokuto's face should've tipped him off to some strange scheme being plotted.

"I'll be your date this Christmas." Bokuto stated.

Akaashi had to take a second to process what was even said, let alone what it meant. He pinched the bridge of his nose in thought before opening his mouth to speak, yet nothing came out. He was actually in shock at one of Bokuto's schemes, Kenma would never let him hear the end of it when he found out.

"What are you talking about?" Akaashi finally managed to force out.

"Huh? Well I'll spend Christmas with you, make your family think we're dating, give your grandparents peace of mind for the holiday y'know? What could possibly go wrong?"

"Everything."

"Akaaaaashi, don't be mean. I'm trying to be helpful!"

"I'm not being mean, I'm being realistic."

Bokuto pouted, an honest to god pout that made Akaashi rethink his stance on the situation. Here he had the captain of the Fukurodani volleyball team, his senpai and friend, offering to pretend to date him for the holidays just so his family wouldn't ask him endless questions. There were many things that could go wrong from Bokuto offending his family to him descending further into this unrequited crush of his on the ace. Yet he was actually considering it.

"How are you with small children?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest as he held the now empty cup in his fingers.

"Decent." Bokuto smiled, sensing he was onto a winner now.

"And would you be okay with sharing a room with me?"

"Course!" He replied a little too enthusiastically for Akaashi's heart to handle.

"...and you're seriously okay with missing Christmas with your own family for this?"

Bokuto nodded.

"What's the catch?" Akaashi wasn't usually so suspicious but when Bokuto had nothing obvious to gain from this encounter, he couldn't help but be a little guarded.

"No catch."

"Really."

"Yes really!" Bokuto squawked. "I just wanna help out my friend in need is that so bad?"

There was another pause. Letting Bokuto spend Christmas with him was letting the captain in on a very private part of his life, he'd be staying in his room, eating with his family, sharing a bathroom with him. It was all the things a couple would consider doing after months of dating, yet here he was about to agree to do it with his senpai. Having that amount of alone time with Bokuto could be the ticket to him actually confessing, it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

"Okay. But we need to talk about how we're going to act around my family." Akaashi relented, trying not to let himself blush too much at the pure joy on Bokuto's face. There was definitely some ulterior motive but he couldn't place his finger on it. "And there has to be boundaries--are you listening?"

Bokuto was grinning as he danced on the spot, tugging on the tassels of his new hat as Akaashi gave up trying to talk seriously to him. The snow was still falling as they finally started walking again, the conversation changing topics a few times before they had to part ways. Bokuto declared he'd call Akaashi by the weekend to discuss 'the plan' - the statement made Akaashi chuckle slightly and that caused Bokuto to grin even more - before waving and setting off down the road to his home.

Akaashi tried to calm his racing heart as he walked the final few streets home, the reality was that he was going to be spending Christmas with his crush was sinking in slowly. He felt nervous, a little confused why Bokuto was doing this in the first place but also strangely giddy with excitement. He managed to get himself under control as he arrived home, greeting his mom with a soft smile and getting given a list of final chores to do in preparation for their family arriving.

He decided not to break the news to her just yet, for he still had to actually talk through the plan with Bokuto. That in itself was going to be a stressful experience, yet he was looking forward to the phone call.

 

* * *

 

 

The day before Christmas eve, Akaashi's cousins arrived. Bokuto had already settled into his home two days prior, the introduction to Akaashi's parents had gone smoothly, they had asked if Bokuto was 'the captain you keep talking about' which made the older male beam. It had been odd having Bokuto with him 24 hours a day, it was even odder still that Bokuto seemed to get along with his dad as if they'd known each other for years.

The boundaries they had set during the phone call - which somehow ended up being two hours of Bokuto making Akaashi laugh and sigh slightly in irritation at silly suggestions - were that they could be physically affectionate to the point of cuddling, under no circumstances were they to kiss. they just had to make it believable that they were comfortable enough with each other to lay in each other's embraces, or at least that was how Akaashi was trying to steer this, Bokuto had suggested some rather outlandish things like Akaashi wearing his shirt to bed, the thought made Akaashi's cheeks blossom and he was thankful it wasn't a video call.

Regardless, it had been a fun few days, Akaashi had gotten used to the feeling of Bokuto's hand on the small of his back and how he'd gently thread his fingers through his hair. He himself had developed the habit of running his fingertips over the ace's hand as it rested on his thigh, stealing glances as they sat watching TV in the evenings, even using Bokuto's lap as a pillow occasionally. He had noticed the endearing looks his mother would give his father, almost as if to say 'don't they look cute?' and had to focus on anything else to stop himself blushing profusely.

He was pretty sure Bokuto was going to see through his façade at some point, and he wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.

So when his younger cousins arrived, it was like a breath of fresh air. For a start they were all just as loud as Bokuto; effectively chirping and repeating his name over and over again as they hugged his legs and giggled.

"Keiji, Keiji look how much I've grown!"

"Keiji, pick me up!"

"Keiji can I have a piggyback?"

Bokuto watched as Akaashi's usual poker face broke away and he smiled warmly at his cousins; the two boys and little girl that were each around nine or ten. It was like another side to the setter had been unearthed as he laughed and indulged them in picking them up and spinning them around until they squealed to be put down. He wasn't sure what he was feeling as he covered his face with his hand to stop himself interrupting this rare scene.

"I take it he doesn't show you this side of him often?" A calm voice broke Bokuto's attention away. Akaashi's mother smiled just as warmly as her son at Bokuto and giggled. "He's rather guarded with his emotions."

"Yeah...I only see it outside of practice so it's still quite a rare thing." Bokuto played off how this was actually the first time he'd seen the other so...relaxed. "And I never see him with kids so..."

"They only see each other around Christmas." His mother explained with a small shrug. "He adores them."

Bokuto could see that, he caught Akaashi's eye and smiled, noting the slight rosiness in the other's cheeks as they shared the smile for a split second before one of the children stole his attention. They allowed Akaashi to herd them into the lounge, hardly taking note of Bokuto's presence until Akaashi grabbed his hand and pulled him into the cosy room behind them.

"Who's that?"

"This is Bo--" He stopped himself, worrying his lip between his teeth for a split second. "This is my boyfriend Koutarou."

"Keiji has a boyfriend?"

Bokuto himself was trying not to show his sheer joy at being introduced as Akaashi's _boyfriend_ and on a first name basis. He smiled and nodded, quickly getting the approval of the kids when they noted his biceps and asked if they could hang onto his arms whilst he spun them around. Akaashi watched from the safety of the couch as Bokuto let two of his cousins cling to his flexing arms and spun around like a fairground ride. It was impossible to tell who was laughing louder; Bokuto or the kids. The third cousin curled up in Akaashi's arms and watched the others, not really on board with the idea of being made ill by Bokuto's antics.

After a while, Bokuto declared he was dizzy and despite the two boys pleading him to continue, he flopped down on the couch next to Akaashi and rested his head on the setter's shoulder.

"Pleeeeease Koutarou?"

"Pretty pleeeeeease."

Akaashi playfully swatted at the boys, getting a giggle out of them and Bokuto who was now pretending to be asleep. Sure enough all three kids lost interest in trying to wake him up and scampered off to the kitchen to no doubt annoy the adults. Within a few seconds of them leaving, Bokuto sat up straight and gave Akaashi a smug grin.

"What?" Akaashi asked, laughing slightly.

"You never told me your cousins were so cute." Bokuto replied. "Or that you can actually laugh."

Akaashi playfully punched his shoulder for the last remark. "Shut up _Koutarou_."

"Make me _Keiji_."

Akaashi was about to make a smart-ass response when the kids returned in a fit of giggles and carrying various small boxes, loudly declaring that they had been told to decorate the currently barren tree in the corner of the room.

"Keiji, you mean to tell me this tree has been there for three days and you didn't ask _me_ to decorate it with you?" Bokuto pretended to be offended, much to the kid's amusement. "I'm hurt."

"You never asked, I never offered." Akaashi replied with a coy smile, laughing when Bokuto's jaw dropped in mock hurt.

"Okay then, well I'll show you how to decorate the best damn tree you've ever seen!" He declared, standing up and flexing his biceps unnecessarily, not that Akaashi had a problem with that.

"Go on then."

Bokuto wasted no time in emptying all the boxes of decorations; snakes of tinsel spread out across the floor, bunches of baubles scattered everywhere, the rats nest of lights proved to be a good way to keep him occupied for several minutes. It was easy for Akaashi to lose himself in watching the other focus intently on the tangle of wiring, the adorable way Bokuto stuck his tongue out in concentration was enough for him to snap a discreet picture. Eventually he got the lights unknotted and began draping them around the branches of the tree, the cousins helped him up until the lights got too high for them to reach, Akaashi discovered the perks of having a tall boyfriend.

Not that Bokuto was actually his boyfriend.

"Bokuto one, decorations zero." He declared triumphantly when he finished. "Tinsel now!"

Akaashi sighed in content, opting to lay on the couch and watch the rest of the process in comfort. Bokuto would keep stealing glances at him whenever he wasn't focused on the tree or getting the cousins to help him select which ornaments went where. It was a lengthy process, Akaashi felt himself drifting in and out of sleep as the baubles seemed to take forever and a day to put on the tree. He was woken by a gentle hand on his shoulder and a warm puff of air on his neck.

"Keiji...do you wanna put the star on the top?" A soft voice asked, Akaashi blinked a few times to focus his vision on the gentle smile of Bokuto, feeling his cheeks flush red as he realised how close their faces were.

"I don't think he can reach." one of the cousins helpfully pointed out.

"Yeah you'll have to pick him up Koutarou."

Bokuto grinned, offering his hand to Akaashi. The setter took it and let Bokuto pull him to his feet, picking up the star from the chaos that was the floor before Bokuto’s strong hands lingered at his waist.

"Ready?"

Akaashi nodded, focusing on the top of the tree rather than how warm Bokuto's hands were. Within a few seconds he found himself sat on Bokuto's shoulder, securing the star to the top of the tree easily enough.

"I never realised how light you are Keiji." Bokuto hummed as Akaashi's feet touched ground, this time facing the captain and nearly falling against his chest as he regained his balance.

"Your point?" Akaashi raised an eyebrow, hands splayed on Bokuto's shirt from where he had steadied himself.

"It's cute." Bokuto remarked, another smug smile on his face as Akaashi rested his forehead against Bokuto's shoulder to try and hide how red his face just became. He wasn't sure how far this fake dating was supposed to be going but he could tell the lines were only going to get blurrier as time went on. His saving grace came in form of his mother calling everyone to dinner.

The rest of the night was fairly uneventful; the cousins were packed off to bed whilst Bokuto cleared up the mess he made in the lounge decorating the tree, Akaashi helped clean the dinner dishes as his aunt and uncle interrogated him about his life, at least they didn't ask too many questions about Bokuto. Once it passed ten, Akaashi declared he was tired and wanted to sleep. He had been slowly falling asleep as his head lay in Bokuto’s lap that evening listening to his extended family's news. Bokuto didn't even ask before he picked up the younger male bridal style and bid all the other's relatives goodnight before carrying him into the bedroom.

"You know they probably think we're gonna have sex." Akaashi uttered once he was put down.

"Naaah." Bokuto chuckled, stretching his shoulders as he closed the bedroom door. Akaashi's room was the right balance of clean and cluttered; most of the room was spotless and organised but the windowsill and bookshelves were littered with keepsakes and photo-frames. Bokuto had been nosy the first night he stayed there and asked Akaashi to tell him every story behind all the framed pictures, he had been honestly shocked when he found one of them was a group picture they took in practice just after the start of the current year. He found it odd that Akaashi kept that photo instead of the one from team photo day the year before, but the setter explained that the impromptu one seemed more natural and happy.

He left out the part where he preferred Bokuto's smile in that one to the official photo.

"So what do you think of my cousins?" Akaashi sighed, shrugging off his shirt to get ready to sleep.

"They're great." Bokuto replied, gaze skirting over Akaashi's chest before focusing more on getting changed himself.

"They seem to like you too..." Akaashi hummed, already getting comfortable in bed once he had changed. His bed felt too big for him, knowing that Bokuto was sleeping in a futon on the floor next to him. He was having an internal battle over how natural all this behaviour seemed with Bokuto, how easily they had both slipped into this new state of friendship. It had become clear to him that he had it bad for Bokuto, there was no way to sugar-coat it anymore. The question was whether the other felt the same.

"Ooh can we bake Christmas cookies tomorrow Keiji?"

The use of his first name when it was just the two of them made Akaashi's heart jump. "Uhm, sure. Why?"

"You can't have Christmas without cookies?!" Bokuto squawked, voice louder and closer than before, Akaashi rolled over and found the captain sat on the edge of his bed waving his arms wildly to back up his point.

"...okay Koutarou, we can bake cookies tomorrow." He smiled, he was getting far too used to seeing that joyful look on the other's ace., not that it was a bad thing. "But I want to sleep now."

Bokuto pouted slightly but then smiled, ruffling Akaashi's hair before slipping off the bed and into the futon on the floor. "Night Keiji~"

"Goodnight Koutarou." Akaashi replied, hoping the other didn't notice the blush on his cheeks before the light was turned out.


	2. Chapter 2

"No _I_ wanna mix it now!"

"But Keiji said _I_ could!"

The squabbling over whose turn it was to mix the cookie dough was something Akaashi could do without, he laughed as he took the bowl from both of them and gave it to Bokuto.

"Let Koutarou mix it for a while, he'll make short work of it." He smiled, offering them both an egg. "Crack those into this bowl for me please."

Bokuto set about stirring the mixture whilst he waited for the eggs. Akaashi taught the remaining cousin how to weigh out flour in the meantime, it was going well until one of the others found the bag of flour and flicked some in his face. A chorus of giggles rang out as Akaashi blinked slowly, Bokuto kept his sniggering to a minimum until Akaashi raised an eyebrow at him and smiled.

"What is it Koutarou?"

"N-Nothing." Bokuto snorted, setting the bowl down. "Nothing at all babe."

The pet name nearly made Akaashi short circuit, he recovered and added the eggs to the bowl before letting the three cousins squabble over who got to mix it all together. Bokuto was red-faced at trying not to laugh at the specks of flour dusting Akaashi's graceful face, the gentle slope of his nose and angled cheekbones were both dotted with small clumps of four and the setter seemed clueless.

"So where's all the icing and stuff?" Bokuto asked, poking through cupboards like he lived there. "I wanna make one look like an owl and send it to Kuroo."

Akaashi chuckled, elbowing him out of the way and being surprised when he let out a yelp. It was then that Akaashi realised Bokuto was ticklish. The decorating icing was forgotten as Akaashi smiled and moved to jab Bokuto's side again, the ace caught hold of his hand with a triumphant 'hah' which was short-lived as Akaashi's other hand skimmed up his sensitive side. The larger male let out another high pitched yelp that made Akaashi laugh loudly, only to find himself being the victim of ticklish touches.

"K-Kou--" He spluttered as he backed up against the counter to try and escape the other's fingers. "Wait--stop." He couldn't stop himself laughing as Bokuto crowded his personal space and tickled his neck. He managed to catch hold of both Bokuto's hands and regain his breath, panting through more giggles as Bokuto looked at him fondly. When he met the other's gaze; golden eyes bright like his smile, Akaashi felt his stomach drop. He let out a more nervous laugh as he started biting on his lower lip.

"Take note Keiji, I never lose a tickle fight." Bokuto murmured. "Ever."

"Sounds like a challenge."

Bokuto chuckled, his shoulders shaking slightly as he stepped back and let Akaashi go. They spent the next few minutes stealing glances at each other as Akaashi rolled out the dough to cut into festive shapes, Bokuto was put in charge of making up different coloured icing and supervising the three children; they clung to his arms again whilst the setter began the cookie cutting process, bored of actually making them and just wanting to eat them at this stage.

"Why don't you all run along and see if my mom needs help wrapping presents?" Akaashi suggested to them. "Me and Koutarou will sort out the cookies."

With a lot of giggling, the three youngsters ran off, leaving the two teens in the kitchen alone. Bokuto was fidgety as Akaashi quickly but carefully cut all the cookies out with the cutters, making sure to set aside some dough for Bokuto to make his owl shaped one. When he presented the other with the small portion of dough, his owlish eyes blinked in disbelief.

"You mean I can make my own?"

"Well yeah, you wanted to right?" Akaashi gave him a puzzled look.

"You really are the best Keiji." Bokuto murmured, the faintest trace of blush on his cheeks as he started flattening it out. Akaashi watched silently as the ace focused on shaping the outline of an owl, he found it interesting to watch Bokuto be so focused on something that he was silent. He didn't even register when Bokuto was done, a playful poke to his nose bringing him out of thoughts about spending more days like this with the other.

"Daydreaming?" Bokuto asked as Akaashi shook himself out of his trance.

"Maybe." Akaashi replied with a small smile as he carefully scooped up the special cookie and placed it on the baking tray with the rest to go into the oven.

"Ooh what about?" Bokuto teased, a somewhat knowing-smirk on his face as Akaashi hurriedly searched his brain for anything but 'you' to slip out of his lips. When no answer came the captain just chuckled. "Oh, by the way you have flour on your face. That's why I was laughing earlier."

Akaashi knew he was blushing, it didn't help when Bokuto started laughing at him blushing. He smiled as he wiped at his cheeks but that appeared to only make the situation worse as Bokuto tried not to burst out laughing again.

"Let me," Bokuto sighed, gently tilting Akaashi's face up as he shook his head, tugging down his jacket sleeve and wiping at Akaashi's cheekbones and nose. "there..." he trailed off, hand still keeping Akaashi looking up at him as blush began to spread across both their faces. Bokuto found himself getting drawn into Akaashi's gaze, usually so passive and unreadable, it was anything but that as they stood there in the setter's kitchen.

"Uhm, so we have a while until the cookies are ready..." Akaashi murmured, not moving to step away from Bokuto, but the silence was suffocating.

"Yeah, uh...do you want help cleaning?"

Akaashi shook his head. "Don't worry about that, it'll just get messy again during decorating." He really felt that he needed to ask Bokuto just how far this fake dating was going, he wasn't aware that the ace was such a good actor, yet he felt that bringing it up would burst the bubble. He wanted to think that Bokuto was behaving naturally, that there was something between them other than friendship.

"Are you okay?" Bokuto asked, the flicker of concern that crossed over his features didn't go unnoticed.

"Yes." Akaashi replied quickly, busying himself with checking the oven for the state of the cookies.

"Keiji..." Bokuto hummed. "What's up?"

"Nothing is up Koutarou."

Bokuto didn't seem to believe him, but he shrugged and declared he was gonna take a shower whilst they waited for the cookies to finish baking. Within a few moments of Akaashi being alone in the room, he found his phone and hastily sent a text to the only other person who would possibly know what was going on in Bokuto's head.

 **From: Pain-in-the-ass-Kuro**  
_Lol. Really? You're pretending to date to get your family off your back? And now you're not sure if Bo is being serious or not? This isn't like you Akaashi ;) You normally think all this shit through to the letter._

Akaashi narrowed his eyes at the text. Kuroo was not being as helpful as he should've been. Another few messages flew off to the other captain, he didn't care if being so open with Kuroo was out of character, this entire situation was out of character for him.

 **From: Pain-in-the-ass-Kuro**  
_Ahhh so that's it. I thought you had a thing for him ever since that first training camp we had. So you're fake dating him but now you want to actually date him? But you don't know how to tell him, and you don't want him to reject you either._

Seeing his problems in text form wasn't helping, Akaashi could feel his cheeks burning as he replied as quick as he could - knowing Bokuto didn't tend to take long in the shower and texting in his presence would be risky, not to mention rude.

 **From: Pain-in-the-ass-Kuro**  
_Just go for it, Bo's a simple guy after all. Just tell him how you feel and I'm sure he'll understand._

It was a cryptic message that practically screamed 'I know something you don't' but Akaashi wasn't allowed to dwell on it. The timer for the oven went off and derailed the virtual conversation, it wouldn't be continued that night.

 

* * *

 

 

Akaashi had busied himself with decorating the first few cookies, he wanted to get some decent ones iced before he called the cousins in to wreak havoc. He didn't hear anyone enter the kitchen as he focused on the outline of one particular snowman cookie, he startled slightly when arms wrapped around his waist and hugged him.

"It's just me." Bokuto hummed, warm, damp chest pressing against Akaashi's back. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just trying to get some of these looking presentable...makes my fingers hurt though." Akaashi replied, gesturing to the tubes of writing icing that were notoriously frustrating to use when they were nearly empty.

"Let me help." Bokuto stated, not moving from behind Akaashi but shifting his arms to grab the tube from the other's fingers. He rested his chin on Akaashi's shoulder as he remained with the other in his embrace. The setter let out a small chuckle at the situation before grabbing another cookie to start work on, being effectively trapped against the counter now with the other's bulky build keeping him warm in the otherwise chilly kitchen. He could think of worst situations to be in.

"You still have your owl one to decorate." Akaashi reminded him, feeling Bokuto nuzzle his neck ever-so-slightly. "Or do you wanna do that later?"

"I'll do it when your cousins are finishing off these." Bokuto replied, Akaashi could feel the vibrations of the other's deep voice in his chest against his back. "Unless that was a heavy hint for me to start now?"

They shared a laugh, Akaashi shook his head and tilted his head to look Bokuto in the eye. "You can stay there as long as you want...it's like having a literal owl on my shoulder."

Bokuto grinned, making no attempt to hide his blushing cheeks as he nuzzled Akaashi's neck again. "Next Halloween you can be Harry Potter and I'll be Hedwig."

"...you've not read the--"

"Shut up, it didn't happen she didn't die." Bokuto pouted defiantly, making Akaashi completely lose it in a fit of giggles. He had to cover his mouth to try and stop the other hearing the small snort that may or may not have escaped. Unfortunately for him Bokuto _did_ hear it and didn't hold back on the teasing. "Did I just hear you--"

"Nope." Akaashi knew he was bright red at this point but wasn't about to admit that he just snorted in a fit of laughter. "Dunno what you're talking about."

"Oh I think you do Keiji." Bokuto remarked, reaching up and pinching one of Akaashi's cheeks. "Were you doing an impression of a piglet?"

"S-Shut up!"

The setter was beside himself with giggles as Bokuto continued teasing him, trying not to cover his entire face in embarrassment as he had icing all over his hands, the ace had him trapped against the counter so he couldn't run away either. The sound of both of them laughing bought Akaashi's mother to the kitchen to find out what on earth was happening, she smiled endearingly once she saw the two of them playfully teasing each other and Akaashi beaming as Bokuto made more wisecracks.

"Oh, hey mom." Akaashi noticed her presence once Bokuto stopped doing his own impression of a piglet. "Uh, how long have you been there?"

"Long enough." She remarked with a smile. "Can I send your cousins in to finish off the cookies?"

"Yeah, go for it." Bokuto answered before Akaashi could, getting a sly elbow to the stomach for it.

The excitable shrieking of the children derailed anymore flirting between the two of them, Bokuto finally moved away from Akaashi to make a start on his 'special cookie' whilst the setter supervised the chaos of cookie decorating. Writing icing coloured the counter in bright streaks, Akaashi got hit in the face several times so it looked like he had war paint on by the end of everything. Bokuto stayed focused on his own creation for most of the time, only getting interrupted by the cousins clamouring for his attention. He managed to send a picture to Kuroo before he got completely distracted by creating more mess with the cousins.

Once every cookie had been decorated - some more expertly than others - Akaashi ushered them out of the kitchen, knowing his mother wanted to start work on the evening meal so he had to clean and clean _quickly_. Bokuto stayed out of the way as the other dashed around, simply watching in amusement and offering his help only to have a doubtful expression cast in his direction. When Akaashi finally stopped, Bokuto wasted no time in gently grabbing his hand and pulling him aside, it was then that Akaashi really looked at Bokuto; his hair had dried in a very 'bed-hair' fashion, he was wearing a suspiciously familiar tank top and seemed to be seconds away from laughing at something again.

"Where...did you get that shirt Koutarou?" Akaashi asked with a raised eyebrow. "And why does it look small on you?"

"I may have stolen it...well I picked it up thinking it was mine and it's not?"

"You're wearing my shirt."

"Essentially, yes." Bokuto grinned. "You can wear one of mine if you want."

Akaashi was getting tired of blushing every time Bokuto opened his god damn mouth. "I'm good."

"Nice war paint you got going on there." The other remarked, licking his thumb before rubbing at Akaashi's cheek.

"Do you just wanna lick it off instead." Akaashi snorted.

"I would if I could guarantee you wouldn't slap me." Bokuto raised an eyebrow, not able to stop himself going slightly red at the suggestion.

Any response Akaashi had was cut off by the sound of the front door buzzer. "crap, my grandparents." He uttered, looking around for a cloth to wash his face with. Bokuto pretended to be shocked at the curse word before Akaashi playfully punched him for it. Once the colourful marks had been scrubbed from the setter's face, he grabbed Bokuto's hand and tugged him into the lounge where an elderly couple were just sitting down on the couch, the cousins were all chirping away excitedly until their mother shooed them away.

It was basically an unspoken command to let Akaashi explain who the hell Bokuto was.

"Ah Keiji!" His grandfather smiled, Bokuto could see Akaashi's smile in the old man's expression, definitely a family trait. "You've certainly grown since last year."

"Y-Yes, a few inches." Akaashi replied, still gripping Bokuto's hand for dear life. Bokuto thanked the heavens it wasn't his spiking hand with the force that the other was exerting.

"And who's this?" The expectant look on his grandmother's face said that she knew who Bokuto was but wanted to hear her grandson state it himself. Akaashi definitely couldn't stop the redness in his cheeks and the laughter from his cousins wasn't helping.

"This...this is Koutarou, my boyfriend." Akaashi replied quietly, unable to stop himself smiling. Bokuto's heart was in his throat as he saw the pure smile on his friend's face, he squeezed Akaashi's hand and smiled back.

"Pleasure to meet you all." Bokuto stated with a big smile, bowing in greeting. There was a hum of approval from the other's relatives before the topic drastically changed. Akaashi let out a sigh of relief as he tugged Bokuto to sit on the floor with him and his cousins, the formal introduction was out of the way so now they just had to dodge questions about their first date and other mundane details. At least they didn't have to lie about meeting through the volleyball club.

"So you're the captain of the team?" His grandfather asked, Akaashi internally screamed as he looked at Bokuto in partial alarm.

"Huh? Oh yeah, captain and ace of the volleyball team." Bokuto grinned. "Keiji is the best setter we've had though."

Akaashi detected no dishonesty in the statement, he smiled shyly and squeezed Bokuto's hand.

"I remember when he got onto the team, he called us and wouldn't stop talking about how cool his upperclassmen were."

The setter realised a second too late where this conversation was going, he should've known it would happen from the start but he had been hoping in vain he would've confessed before this point.

"He always talks about you, especially this year when you became captain. We didn't realise that all the fawning over you had led to you two dating."

"Haha oh really?" Bokuto raised an eyebrow at Akaashi which only meant the setter blushed even heavier. "What kind of stuff did he say? He doesn't tend to share his thoughts with me a lot, except when we're in the middle of a game."

His grandmother had noticed the blushing mess Akaashi was becoming and found it adorable, just encouraging her to continue. "What was it he always said dear?" She turned to her husband, "' _I feel more alive when he's around_ ' or something like that?"

"Yeah, oh and he's always admired your energetic style."

Akaashi just wanted the ground to swallow him up, the fact his grandmother _remembered_ him saying that about Bokuto was bad enough. He felt his hand getting sweaty just sitting under the intense lights of the tree, he kept giving Bokuto side glances but the ace seemed to just be drinking in all the embarrassing things he had said over phone calls. One of his cousins started pining for attention so he started appeasing them by taking selfies with the Christmas tree in the background, anything to distract himself from the current situation.

He almost missed what Bokuto said about him.

"OH wow, he admires _me_...I mean I'm flattered but he needs to give himself more credit. I've not met anyone else who can analyse a game so quickly and call out the right shots. Or anyone who can single-handedly rally a team to give me a boost of confidence when I need it, who executes every toss with such grace and skill. Sure he guards his emotions carefully but he's really special, one of a kind, and I'm glad he's let me be his partner."

Akaashi's attention snapped to Bokuto within seconds, he tried to act like this wasn't the first time he'd heard Bokuto speak like that but he couldn't help it. Bokuto met his gaze and offered a sheepish smile, a murmured 'aw' was heard from his grandmother which certainly didn't help the embarrassment. Thankfully for Akaashi, his mother declared that food was on the table for those who wanted it which sent everyone but him and Bokuto out to the kitchen.

They sat there under the lights of the tree, awkwardly smiling at each other. Akaashi wasn't sure if Bokuto actually meant those things he said or whether he had just said them to appease his family, he didn't want to ask as that would've been rude.

"You did a good job with the lights." He sighed, glancing at the multi-coloured bulbs flashing in sync with one another.

"Thanks, I don't think my mom will believe me when I tell her I decorated a tree that big."

"You wanna take a picture to prove it?"

Bokuto raised an eyebrow. "Only if you're in it."

Akaashi scoffed but nodded, letting Bokuto shuffle over to him and wrap an arm around his shoulders. The ace's phone came out, Akaashi was never really one for photos but this was an exception he decided. Several selfies with the tree were taken, a few more serious ones before Bokuto started pulling silly faces which had him in a fit of giggles again.

Just as he sighed heavily to get his breath back, it was stolen away. Bokuto stopped pulling stupid poses and kissed Akaashi's cheek, the sound of his camera snapping was just background noise as Akaashi's entire world stopped in that moment. He was trying to work out why Bokuto had done it, none of his relatives were in the room so it wasn't a staged gesture.

"Are you okay?" Bokuto asked, trying not to look smug.

 _No I'm not, you just kissed me even though we agreed kissing wasn't in the terms of this fake dating thing'_ was what Akaashi wanted to say. Instead he just stared at Bokuto and felt his entire face heat up.

The ace seemed to get what was running through Akaashi's mind, he laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, I should've asked."

"Yeah..." Akaashi replied, still unable to form a coherent sentence whilst still in such shock. "Don't worry about it..."

Bokuto smiled, nudging Akaashi's knee. "I meant what I said, about you being one of a kind."

"O-Oh?"

"Yeah, I've not met anyone like you Keiji..."

They were interrupted before Bokuto could finish his train of thought, Akaashi's mother poked her head around the door and called them through for hot chocolate before the cousins went to bed. Just as Akaashi was passing her, she tugged on his arm.

"Keiji, would you and Koutarou be able to share your bed tonight? We've not got enough futons otherwise."

Akaashi wanted to both laugh and cry at the same time. He nodded with a smile as he followed Bokuto into the kitchen, his cousins were all squabbling over marshmallows to put in their drinks. He accepted the hot drink from his dad with a smile and simply watched his not-boyfriend having a competition with his cousin regarding how many marshmallows he could stuff in his mouth. He wanted to tell him to stop being a bad influence but that would've been sucking the fun out of everything, and right then Akaashi needed every ounce of fun he could get. Sharing a bed with Bokuto was going to be a stressful experience, or at least that's what he thought. When the kids finally got packed off to bed, he told Bokuto about the sleeping arrangements changing.

"...okay." Bokuto shrugged. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah...are you okay with that?"

Bokuto blinked. "Of course?"

"You're being far too convincing with this..." Akaashi remarked under his breath with a sly smile, trying to calm his racing heart as Bokuto chuckled and pulled him into a hug.

"It's not exactly _hard_ Keiji." Bokuto whispered.

They stayed up a while longer talking to Akaashi's relatives until Bokuto loudly exclaimed that everyone had to be in bed before midnight otherwise Santa wouldn't come. Akaashi laughed and shook his head as he found himself being dragged out of the kitchen by the hand, bidding goodnight hastily to his family before letting Bokuto continue dragging him into his bedroom. The futon that had been on the floor was now gone, leaving just Akaashi's bed for them to sleep in, it wasn't a double bed by any means so it was inevitable that they were going to be close that night, though Akaashi didn't quite envisage that Bokuto would be down for spooning him.

Though this was _Bokuto_ so he should've known better.

The darkness was somewhat of a blessing, it meant his blush wasn't obvious as he sat on the edge of the bed after turning out the light. Bokuto's hand found his in the darkness, offering a gentle squeeze of reassurance. Once he was actually laying down with Bokuto's arm wrapped around his waist, Akaashi let out a small sigh.

"Koutarou?"

"Hm?" Bokuto hummed, tightening his hold slightly as he nuzzled Akaashi's neck.

"What were you going to say earlier before you got interrupted?"

Bokuto was quiet for a few moments, Akaashi could feel the low thud of his heart as he pressed his back to the other's chest.

"I was going to say...that you're really one of a kind. And I count myself lucky that you came to Fukurodani and joined our team...I don't know where we'd be--where _I'd_ be without you."

"You regard me that highly?" Akaashi tried not to sound doubtful but he wasn't sure what the big deal was around him; Bokuto was the ace of the team, he was the one who got all the glory every match they played. He just paved a way for him to succeed.

"Of course!" Bokuto bolted upright and planted a hand either side of Akaashi, leaning down so the setter could feel his breath brush over him. "Keiji I...you're amazing."

"...you..." Akaashi uttered, rolling onto his back and trying to see through the darkness to figure out what Bokuto's expression was. The darkness wasn't going to cooperate. He was sure Bokuto was just saying that to make him feel better after all the praise he gave him.

"I do!"

"Shh Koutarou, you'll wake everyone up--"

"Not until you accept that you're amazing." The other grumbled, his voice sounded strained, like he was trying not to cry. It made Akaashi's stomach twist that Bokuto cared so much about this subject that he was getting so worked up about it.

He let out a small breathless laugh, trying to lighten the mood before they had to sleep, reaching out and splaying a hand on his chest. "Okay...okay."

"You accept it?" Bokuto's voice was softer as he shifted to lay back down.

"I do...though I may not personally agree." He replied.

There was a snort before the bed dipped with Bokuto's weight, the arm returned to wrap around Akaashi’s waist and he rolled over to face Bokuto. Though he couldn't see the other, he smiled. Gentle fingers drew circles onto his back as they lay there and he began drifting asleep, feeling safe and warm in Bokuto's embrace.

"...I'll make you see one day Keiji, I'll make you see how amazing you are." Bokuto whispered when he was sure Akaashi was too far gone to reply.

 

* * *

 

 

Christmas morning in the Akaashi household always began with his cousins loudly declaring that Santa had been. The setter opened an eye wearily once the shrieking started and remembered what happened the previous night. Bokuto was still sound asleep, snoring softly, bed-hair rivalling Kuroo's and blissfully unaware of the chaos that was seconds away from erupting.

The door burst open.

"Keiji Santa’s been!"

"I know!" Akaashi replied with as much energy as he could whilst still being wrapped up in Bokuto's hold, the ace had stirred awake and just pulled him closer with a grumble.

"Come and see!"

"I will, just give me a few minutes." He replied, chuckling at Bokuto's grumbling. Once he managed to usher the kids out of the room he curled into Bokuto's hold a little more; enjoying the warmth and Bokuto's scent as he lay there listening to excitable giggles from the lounge. "Koutarou...wake up." He hummed, gently cupping Bokuto's cheek.

"Don’t wanna." Bokuto grumbled, nuzzling Akaashi's neck.

"But Santa's been, don't you wanna open presents?"

"I got my gift here..."

The furious blush on the setter's cheeks was probably going to be a permanent feature at this rate. He laughed and ruffled the other's hair prompting Bokuto to lazily open one eye and look at him, there was a mischievous grin on his face as he tried to bury his face in Akaashi's pillow.

"Kou, seriously. We need to get up or my cousins will come in here and hit us with pillows. It happened one year and it'll happen again."

" _Fine_ " Bokuto over-dramatically replied. "But you gotta leave first."

"Huh?"

"I...didn't get a chance to wrap your gift."

Akaashi shook his head and laughed louder than before. "Don't worry about it."

"But Keeeeiji." Bokuto pined, extending the vowels in Akaashi's name like he usually did.

"Okay, but if you go back to sleep then I'm setting the kids on you."

"Noted."

Akaashi got up, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Bokuto wasn't just about to go back to sleep as soon as he left, before going to find out how spoilt his cousins were going to be that year. He watched them all open their presents, keeping an eye on the doorway to see if Bokuto was actually going to join them or not. Just as the final few gifts were being unwrapped, Bokuto meandered into the room carrying his gym bag. Akaashi raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he sat next to him on the floor and grinned.

"What took you so long Kou?" Akaashi asked as his mother presented him with two gifts.

"Couldn't find anything big enough to put your present in so I had to keep it in my bag." Bokuto replied, eyeing the two packages. "Open those first though."

With a raised eyebrow, Akaashi complied. His parents had gotten him some new sneakers, as his current ones were starting to get too small, and two dvds he had been wanting for a while. Bokuto glanced at them thoughtfully before telling Akaashi to close his eyes, the setter was a little nervous but nodded; covering his eyes with his hands and listening to the rustling in Bokuto’s gym bag.

"Okay?" The ace asked.

"Yes? Can I open my eyes now Koutarou?"

Bokuto chuckled, he sounded nervous. "Sure."

When Akaashi opened his eyes, he found Bokuto hiding his face behind a stuffed owl; it bore an uncanny resemblance to the ace with its grey feathers and golden eyes, it even had the same white tufts coming out of its head like Bokuto’s hair did. He couldn't help but giggle as he accepted it and drew Bokuto into a hug.

"Wait, I got you something too." He breathed, pulling away from the hug before he forgot. He presented Bokuto with a slim, squishy packet that he ace made short work of the wrapping on. Inside was a black t-shirt with owls printed on it, alongside white writing.

"You Obviously Like Owls..." Bokuto read, grinning as he pointed to the speech bubbles coming from the printed owls that all said 'YOLO'. "Oh my god I love it Keiji! Kuroo's gonna be so jealous." He declared, practically tackling Akaashi in a hug. The both lay on the floor of the lounge laughing as Akaashi's remaining relatives exchanged gifts, completely in their own world for those precious few moments.

It was then that Akaashi accepted it; he was in love with Bokuto.

And Bokuto seemed to be in love with him.

He paused in his laughter, managing to cup Bokuto's face and keep him still. There was a new brightness in Bokuto's eyes that he wasn't sure he'd seen before, he smiled and let out another breathless giggle. Bokuto playfully poked his nose and returned the smile, he could definitely get used to seeing Akaashi smile like that more often.

"Keiji," His mother's voice pulled them both from their own world. "Can you go and make everyone tea please?"

Akaashi tried not to let on he was annoyed and nodded, pulling Bokuto up with him and into the kitchen. He hurried about trying to make the tea as fast as possible, he didn't notice Bokuto slipping out of the room for a split second and then returning with something behind his back.

"Oh look Keiji, there's snow falling outside." He remarked, grabbing Akaashi's attention by the window.

"Huh...so it is." Akaashi replied, standing next to him.

"You know what else is falling?"

Akaashi gave Bokuto a puzzled look. "What?"

"Me. I'm falling for you." Bokuto proudly stated, bringing his hand out from behind his back and holding the small branch of mistletoe above them, raising an eyebrow as Akaashi's cheeks turned rosy for the hundredth time that holiday season. "May I?"

Akaashi didn't give him a verbal answer, he cupped Bokuto's face and met him halfway, hesitant lips meeting tenderly and eyes fluttering shut. A hand on his waist pulled him closer and for a moment nothing else mattered other than the feeling of Bokuto's lips on his. Parting slowly, he immediately buried his face in Bokuto's neck, feeling the rumble of laughter from the other as he wrapped his arms around Bokuto.

"You got that pick-up line from Kuroo didn't you?" He teased.

"Eh? No!" Bokuto squawked.

"That's such a Kuroo line though."

"S-Shut up!" Bokuto laughed, trying not to blush.

Akaashi pulled away, kissing Bokuto's lips again for good measure before returning to the tea-making. The rest of the day was a blur of overeating, laughing at poorly made puns, Bokuto using the mistletoe at every opportunity and a congratulatory text from Kuroo. By the time evening came Akaashi was ready to pass out in Bokuto's arms whilst the adults started opening bottles of sake. He wasn't aware of being carried to his bedroom, but the next thing he knew was Bokuto snuggling up to him under the covers and peppering his neck and cheeks with kisses.

"Best Christmas ever." He hummed as Bokuto chuckled into his neck.

"Oho? And why's that hm?"

Akaashi poked his nose instead of replying. Bokuto laughed, bumping his forehead against Akaashi's before running his fingers through short black locks. He noted how Akaashi's eyelids drooped a little each time he did so, repeating his actions a few more times until the setter was curling up against his chest and breathing deeply.

"I love you Keiji..." He whispered, holding the smaller boy close to his heart, still running his hand through Akaashi's hair.

"I love you too Kou..." A sleepy voice replied.

And that was why it was the best Christmas, not just for Akaashi but for Bokuto too. One day Bokuto would explain that it had been Kuroo's idea to 'fake date', but for now he deemed it wasn't an important detail; what mattered was that after months of mutual pining and two days of not-so-subtle flirting, they were finally - officially - together. Though how they were going to explain to Akaashi's family why their anniversary was on Christmas day would remain to be seen, that was a problem for another day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realise, upon editing all of this, that there is a hella lot of blushing in this fic.


End file.
